Review: United’s New Spider-Man Business Class Amenity Kit

United Airlines has launched a marketing partnership with the new Spider-Man: Far From Home movie being released July 2.

The airline has a new Spider-Man safety video, will let you redeem miles for movie tickets, and has a new Spider-Man business class amenity kit.

The safety video includes United employees, MileagePlus members who bid miles at auction to be included, and cast members from the film.

The video begins with villains entering a corner store and causing ‘turbulence’ with their disruption to Mr. Delmar, played by Hemky Madera. The deli scene includes a framed photo of Stan Lee, honoring the immense impact he had on the Marvel community.

Customers will also notice the recently announced updated United livery displayed on the animated 787-10 aircraft, prior to customers learning the locations of the exits.

Next, Peter Parker’s best friend Ned, played by Jacob Batalon, shares a scene with United CEO Oscar Munoz as the villains head into a nearby theater to escape Spider-Man. In one of the final scenes, Eugene “Flash” Thompson, played by Toni Revolori, helps to demonstrate that cell phones and large devices should be put into airplane mode prior to take-off.

United says “this fast-paced and entertaining video concludes with Spider-Man ensuring that everyone is safe and settled as their journey begins.” So there’s that.

The airline sent me one of their new amenity kits. If you’re really into Spider-Man or the broader Marvel universe you’re going to want one.

There are spiderwebs and spiders on the red case along with passport stamps. The case doesn’t feel particularly luxurious, though, and it’s not a bag that I’d find secondary uses for which is one of the key ways I judge an amenity kit. I use my 2006 ANA first class kit to this day as a travel bag for my razor and tooth brush. (I love most of the new American Airlines amenity kits if not their contents.)

Everything inside except for the United pen and Sunday Riley amenities are Spider-Man branded. I do appreciate that the kit contains a pen, for international destinations that require you to fill out a landing card.

In keeping with the theme there’s a spider-webbed eye mask and socks, and the packaging of the dental kit, ear plugs, and socks has webbing too.

I’m not familiar with Sunday Riley products. Anecdotally I’m hearing that flyers prefer them over the Cowshed amenities United had been using. They come in a sealed (and re-sealable) package inside the kit.

I find this marketing partnership curious. There’s not an obvious aviation tie-in, other than the fact that Spider-Man flies through the air (but not in the same way that Superman does). This has to be expensive for Columbia Pictures as a way to promote the film. And it’s not clear that United customers, or United business class customers are more likely than the population as a whole to engage with the film.

Nonetheless fans of the film and genre will be excited, while those of us who never connected with Peter Parker as a child will look forward to whatever comes next!

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. The airline is featured in the movie – I noticed in the trailer there was a United plane in the air so it’s probably an even trade or something.

  2. I think the new Spiderman movie has him traveling to other countries (hence “Far from Home”). So slightly related to United (travel) I suppose.

  3. Is this going to be on all flights or only certain flying to London in June with my child and would love for him to get one.

  4. Interesting novelty value to the amenity kit (wouldn’t mind having one myself), but as for the video…

    ‘United says “this fast-paced and entertaining video…” ‘

    Ummm, no. It’s slow, and cringeworthy. About as bad as BA’s fake audition.

    I really hope the new Spider-Man film isn’t as bad!

  5. Thank You Gary for the review.
    We need all the publicity that’s possible.

    Maybe you’ll still have the pen 13 years from now.

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